Chapter 206: The Main Force Has Not Yet Arrived at Lashu

Jiang Anguo wanted to reorganize the troops at Lashu, but he forgot one thing: Lashu could be described as empty as a vacant building, most of the soldiers in the city had been transferred to the front line.

This is far less desolate than when the 200th Division retreated into Lashu back then.

Not to mention Jiang Anguo's unit that is nominally the Overseas Chinese Battalion.

Even Jiang Anguo's cooking company has gone to the front.

She Pigu even captured a Little Devil's head; Jiang Anguo recalls that he confiscated a Little Devil's telescope, calling it a treasure and saying it would be kept for his child as a family heirloom.

In fact, She Pigu is now an officer and has all the officer's gear, including a Zeiss telescope, but compared with the one issued by the regiment chief, the one seized from the Little Devil is even more treasured by She Pigu.

Long Wen Zhang's 2,000-person prisoner camp is simultaneously training and marching.

Good fellows, the Tonggu counterattack battle felt like a major decisive battle.

It literally mobilized all the troops in Lashu.

Looking back now, as a Regiment Commander, he commanded this Tonggu counterattack with over 15,000 troops.

It's simply unbelievable.

Jiang Anguo's mind can't calm down now, because the previous fights were small skirmishes; of course the battle against the Japanese Army's 56th Division was different—it was a defensive counterattack, and Jiang Anguo had already arranged his troops in Lashu.

He was just waiting for Watanabe Masao, that old devil, to jump in himself.

That old devil also was eager to earn merit, hoping to break into Yunnan Province; who would have thought he actually got in, but only he made it inside!

Now Watanabe Masao is still lying in Lashu's hospital.

Jiang Anguo also went to take a look at the old devil Watanabe Masao.

"Lei Ao, this old devil won't die, will he?" Jiang Anguo said, pointing at the bedridden Watanabe Masao.

Lei Ao shook his head and said, "Commander, he won't die, but as for his mental state, we won't know until he regains consciousness."

As long as he's not dead, that's fine.

So far, he hasn't decided how to deal with this Japanese Lieutenant General—whether to kill him or exchange him for greater benefit.

Jiang Anguo himself led three thousand troops, Dai Anlan's 200th Division about five thousand men, the tank regiment two thousand, the Overseas Chinese unit 1,600, and Long Wen Zhang's prisoner camp two thousand.

There was also an Independent Battalion and an Engineer Battalion that Jiang Anguo left in Lashu.

"Regiment Chief, it's not that all the troops have gone to fight Tonggu; they haven't returned yet," Lin Yi said softly.

Jiang Anguo slapped his forehead, "I'm confused; I flew back directly from Taunggyi, the main force is still behind, the division commanders should be at Xibu."

The main force is still following the 200th Division to Xibu.

Lin Yi nodded and said, "According to the telegram from our position at Xibu, the vanguard of the 200th Division has already reached Xibu; most of the rest are still around Jiaomei, and they should arrive at Xibu gradually over the next two days."

"Great!" Jiang Anguo said as he entered the airport's command room, where a large map of Myanmar was hanging. He pointed at Xibu and said, "Once we reach Xibu we'll be safe; the Japanese have now moved three divisions behind our rear. At this point the Japanese must be crazy—how could they not find us?"

After speaking, Jiang Anguo laughed, and he explained the retreat route to Lin Yi.

Lin Yi could hardly believe it; the audacity was just too great.

"So, Regiment Chief, our main force and the Japanese 18th Division preparing to move south to Tonggu are separated by only a single mountain."

Jiang Anguo laughed, "It's also thanks to Myanmar's complex terrain; otherwise evading a Japanese division's pursuit wouldn't be that easy."

It's also thanks that the Japanese commander didn't send the scouts too far; after all, the two armies are still fifty to sixty kilometers apart, and a scout covering twenty to thirty kilometers is already good. Moreover, the Japanese reconnaissance planes are all patrolling the Tonggu direction, so they would never have thought of Taunggyi's retreat route.

Jiang Anguo pointed again at Taunggyi, "I stayed in Taunggyi for several days, have already contacted some overseas friends, and plan to establish a military base there; if the Little Devils dare to come in, they'll definitely get a good beating!"

Lin Yi knows Jiang Anguo has some overseas contacts; otherwise Lashu wouldn't have so much supplies, not only American but also German supplies.

Large-scale operations always test not only the soldiers' discipline but also the commander's constantly taut nerves.

When Jiang Anguo's army boots stepped onto the solid cement of Lashu Airport, he finally felt his heart, which had been hanging in midair, settle down. The bowstring that had been drawn taut since leaving Tonggu could at last relax a little.

His mind could finally empty out.

This was a luxury he would never dare indulge in on the bumpy marching road.

In the jungle, his mind was a high-speed computer, processing massive data every second. He had to simulate every possible Japanese advance on the map, calculate his own troops' marching speed and stamina limits, and anticipate how the rainy season would affect the roads.

Especially during the nights planning the Tonggu counterattack, he dared not relax at all.

He closed his eyes, and his mind was no longer filled with intersecting attack arrows and fire‑allocation charts, but a pure, tranquil blank.

Jiang Anguo had never slept so deeply, as if all the energy he had overdrawn in the past twenty‑plus days were being fully restored at that moment.

In his own room in Lashu, he collapsed onto the bed, barely having time to remove his boots before consciousness fell into an endless darkness.

During those days and nights planning the Tonggu counterattack, sleep was a luxury. His mind was like a war machine that could not be shut down, turning under the oil lamp into countless possible attack‑defense simulations.

Xiao Si, who had been guarding the doorway, finally dared to lean against the wall and let out a long sigh.

As Jiang Anguo's close attendant, he followed the Young Master from home all the way to Myanmar, and the sisters' parting admonition, "Make sure to protect the Young Master," had long been etched into his bones.

Especially after entering Myanmar, gunfire and artillery rained down, danger lurked everywhere.

Whenever Jiang Anguo slept, Xiao Si was even more vigilant than when he was awake; he would bring a chair to the doorway, ears catching any rustle of wind, his hand never leaving the MP40 submachine gun slung on his body.

Even though there were Guard Company soldiers beside Jiang Anguo, Xiao Si still felt uneasy.

It was a protection that went beyond duty, almost instinctual.

Now, back in the rear area of Lashu, listening to the Young Master's steady, deep breathing in the room, Xiao Si's nerves, strained for days, finally began to relax strand by strand. He found a corner, curled up, and fell into a deep sleep.